Chapter 247 : Surprise Me

Light filled Adrian's eyes as he knelt.

His sparkling eyes were fixed on the red-eyed man before him.

Adrian clasped his trembling hands in front of his chest.

"Ah, ahh... O Ketel... You have not forsaken this misguided and lowly servant."

Adrian, still on his knees, looked up at the miracle of Ketel that had come to him.

Just then, the clouds parted, and the sunlight was revealed.

The radiance of the sun that fell upon the red-eyed man was a brilliant halo itself.

Tears streamed down Adrian's face as he witnessed the miracle of Ketel.

They were tears of gratitude.

Had he ever met someone who had told him they would trust and support him so completely while he walked the path of black mana?

It was the same in any country, but the perception of black mages in the Maia Kingdom was not good.

It was close to persecution.

Especially with the appearance of the Dark Heaven Society, people's gazes had become even sharper.

When he went down to the village once in a while to buy groceries.

It was one thing for everyone he met to openly frown or to stealthily avoid him, hiding their children behind them.

It was a common occurrence to be hit by stones or eggs.

Adrian would always laugh it off, greet them, and try to be kind.

But the more he did so, the more wary people became of him.

They said he was trying to use some vile trick. That he was trying to lure them with a smiling face and make them a sacrifice for a curse. That he was trying to kidnap children.

And yet, Adrian smiled.

The attitude of the other mages in the Mage Tower was not much different.

It was a common occurrence to be badmouthed as a follower of the filthy black mana, and discrimination was rampant, starting with research funds.

It was a wonder he hadn't been kicked out of the Mage Tower.

No, it was an unspoken pressure to leave.

Adrian would just laugh that off as well.

Adrian always smiled.

To break the stereotype that black mages were vile, cunning, and gloomy, he would smile one more time.

But that didn't mean he was okay on the inside.

The Dark Heaven Society began to run rampant.

One of his colleagues was collectively assaulted by the villagers.

His fellow black mages, who had been researching with him, gave up their black robes one by one, unable to withstand the persecution.

In the end, his research funds were also cut off.

Having no choice, Adrian became the representative of the black mages and headed north.

To Tundra in the north, the most dangerous place in the current situation, where the worst monster wave was predicted.

And yet, Adrian did not lose his smile.

He believed there was something he could do in the north.

He thought he could help people with the power of the black mana he had honed.

He even comforted himself, saying it was a good thing.

After all, he could touch the corpses of magical beasts, which were his research materials, to his heart's content.

Since he had come as support from the Mage Tower, the people of the north greeted him kindly.

But when he revealed that he was a black mage, he saw their expressions harden slightly.

Adrian didn't mind.

At least they weren't throwing stones.

A northern soldier asked.

"I don't know much about black magic. Is there anything you need?"

"I need the corpses of magical beasts."

The soldier showed him a warehouse where the frozen corpses of magical beasts were stored.

It had been a long time, so he couldn't use them.

"Are there no fresh corpses?"

"The ones here are the freshest."

"I see. It seems I'll only be able to show my true skills when a fresh magical beast comes."

"Understood. Then, could you perhaps help the other mages by enchanting the cannonballs?"

"Ah, that's not my specialty."

"..."

In the end, Adrian had no choice but to suck his thumb while the senior mages were frantically inscribing magic on the cannonballs.

Adrian was naturally pushed to the background.

In that state, the first wave began, and when the situation was resolved, Adrian was the first to go out beyond the barrier to examine the magical beasts.

There were many in good condition!

Now he could help people.

In his own way.

Excited, he was about to start working after pulling out a few magic stones.

A soldier took the corpse he was working on.

The magic stones were also confiscated.

It seemed they had misunderstood that he was taking them for his own personal gain.

He thought it was understandable, since he had done nothing but eat while the senior mages were working their asses off enchanting the cannonballs.

"Haha, it's fine, it's fine. There are still so many left."

He was able to get permission to use the remaining corpses after the soldiers had sorted out the ones in good condition, that is, the marketable ones.

Adrian forced a smile and started working on the corpses of the magical beasts that were still usable.

Just then, someone approached him and spoke to him for the first time.

"Are you a mage?"

Black hair that seemed to have grown wild.

Fierce, blood-red eyes.

He couldn't not know.

He had ears too, and there were rumors flying around.

The protagonist of a rather welcome rumor that he used black magic, someone he had wanted to meet someday.

The owner of the Platinum Badge who had revived the Sherwood Mercenary Corps.

The new captain of the Sherwood Mercenary Corps, Ashuban Sherwood.

Ashuban was a rare man without prejudice.

Because he asked about black magic without hesitation, he had a chance to explain that he was not involved with the Dark Heaven Society.

Adrian chatted with him for a while, then watched him leave as he was called by the duke and had to get up in a hurry.

"Haha."

He thought he was a rather interesting man, unlike the terrifying rumors.

Adrian focused on his work with a joyful heart.

The weather beyond the barrier was so cold that his hands would often freeze, and then he would have to go back inside the barrier to warm his hands.

There was no other support besides the bonfire the soldiers were tending.

Because everyone else was busy with other things.

There was no attention to spare for the black mage who was just eating and doing nothing.

But Adrian was satisfied with that.

"Haha, you're all working so hard."

After warming his hands, Adrian went back out beyond the barrier and continued his work, fighting the cold alone.

The next day, at dawn.

The sun had not yet fully risen.

Adrian went out beyond the barrier again.

"Haha, it's cold, isn't it? I brought some sweet potatoes on my way here. I thought it would be nice to roast them and eat them."

After sharing the sweet potatoes with the soldiers, a man spoke to him as he was working again, fighting the cold outside the barrier.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, Sir Ashuban! We meet again."

"So we do."

The man spoke to him without any prejudice.

"But aren't you cold?"

"...Even if it's not the time for a monster wave, a curious magical beast might visit from time to time, so be careful."

Adrian grinned.

He was a man who worried about him, even though he didn't look like it at all.

Then, he suddenly gave him a thick cloak as a gift.

"Oh. What is this?"

"It's a cloak."

"A cloak?"

"I picked it up on the way."

He said it as if it were nothing, but Adrian could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

Because he could feel the energy of mana. It was surely an expensive cloak enchanted with magic.

In his gratitude, he chattered away excitedly, and before he knew it, a little of his inner thoughts slipped out.

"Sir Ashuban, you are truly a gift sent to me by Ketel! Ah, I apologize if that sounded rude. It just means that it's that meaningful to me. Ordinary people don't want to talk to black mages."

"Not at all. No need to be rude."

Fortunately, he didn't seem to mind.

"Then I'll be going."

"Yes! Please be careful! May death pass you by!"

Thanks to that, Adrian was able to forget the cold and focus on his work.

And the next day.

Adrian met him as he was going out for reconnaissance early in the morning, chatted with him, and boasted about his work.

He was nothing short of a benefactor to Adrian.

He was the only one who had approached him first when he was alone. Without any prejudice.

His words were rough, but he could tell that he was a warm-hearted man on the inside.

He would readily approach him, ask him this and that, and strike up a conversation.

The day before, he had given him a warm cloak.

Was that not enough?

Now he was even giving him expensive magic stones without hesitation.

He had nothing to give in return, but this red-eyed man who gave so generously was constantly bestowing upon him a grace he could not repay.

Ah, what in the world was this man?

If he was not a saint sent by Ketel, then what was he?

Was he an apostle of Ketel?

The apostle of God, who was a miracle sent by Ketel and was engulfed in a holy halo, opened his mouth.

"This is a time when every hand is needed. I'll speak to the duke separately. The duke is a plain man. If you show remarkable results in the next wave, the duke will not spare his support, so work hard."

"Ah..."

"Show him results that he can't help but support. Understood?"

"Yes, gladly...!"

Adrian answered, shedding tears.

Regardless.

Ashuban gestured to his members who had come out of the wall, and then took all the magic stones they had and gave them to him.

He had received a grace that was too much to bear.

"How can I ever repay this grace..."

"How can you repay it?"

The man who had given so generously said plainly.

"Repay it with results."

"Aah...!"

"Aren't mages supposed to be the ones who overturn common sense? Surprise me."

Adrian watched the apostle of God, who had left those words and ran like a gale into the raging blizzard.

He knelt before him and offered the prayers of the black mages who walked the path of black mana.

Hot emotions welled up, and his words were repeatedly cut off.

"May death... pass you by...!"

Adrian, who had always been smiling, shed hot tears.

* * *

[Why is that guy suddenly crying and making a fuss?]

"Master, do you know why madmen are madmen?"

[?]

"Because they're madmen."

[What nonsense is that.]

"You can't understand the thoughts of madmen, and the more you try to delve into them, the more you lose your way. Because that's just how they are."

[Hmm.]

"So not only can you not understand them, but you don't need to try to understand them. It's easier on the mind to just accept it and move on."

[Coming from an authority, that's persuasive.]

"..."

Adrian, who had suddenly knelt and was shedding tears, was so flustering that I just delivered my message and left as if I were running away.

The second day of reconnaissance was not much different from the previous day.

The only difference was that I had gotten a little more used to it and had developed my own knack.

The Sherwood members, including myself, played with the magical beasts in the white hell to our hearts' content.

Since I had decided not to spare my support for Adrian the black mage, I hunted magical beasts whenever I saw an opportunity.

I was even getting used to being chased by magical beasts to some extent.

Sir Monde's habitual grumbling was now more frequently mixed with curses.

As a result.

The second day of reconnaissance.

Found 5 A-rank magical beasts and 84 B-rank magical beasts.

Among them, killed 4 A-rank magical beasts and 51 B-rank magical beasts.

I and Sir Monde killed one A-rank magical beast, and the thief and the demonic swordsman killed one.

The golden speedster and the poison demon killed two.

It seemed they had tortured them with poison to their hearts' content again.

The numbers were ridiculous.

A situation where guys who were so hard to see even in Maia were roaming around freely.

Even if it was a monster wave, this number was a bit much.

It was partly because we had covered a wider area as we had gotten more used to the geography and reconnaissance than on the first day.

But the number of high-rank magical beasts had nearly doubled.

A bad feeling was slowly creeping in.

It was to the point where I wondered if dozens of A-rank magical beasts would pop out from the second wave.

And so, the third day of reconnaissance arrived.

While reconnoitering the mountain range dominated by winter.

We spotted a huge wave of magical beasts rushing in.

The second wave had begun.

In just three days.

(End of Chapter)

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